Strapless brassieres are known and must overcome the absence of the support usually provided by the straps by a particular device. Patent FR 2 924 901 on behalf of the Applicant has made known a brassiere including a sandwich of thermoformed layers defining two cups and comprising a reinforcing element incorporated in the sandwich in the form of a plate made of a rigid material in one direction coextensive with the plate and elastically flexible in a transverse direction. The plate comprises flexible fingers disposed under and in the cup. This brassiere is highly satisfactory but has a back.
However, at least on some occasions, for example when the users wear dresses with low backs, they require having a brassiere that is not only strapless but also backless. The majority of the numerous brassieres proposed for this purpose are adhesive, over all or part of the surface in contact with the chest of the user, which may be unpleasant to wear and upon removing the brassiere. There have been proposed without success in a distant past brassieres incorporating an elastic rigid underwire forming a spring around the torso, for example in document U.S. Pat. No. 2,428,572 of 1945, but it has not been known since then to manufacture and commercialize a brassiere comfortable enough to be worn several hours straight without discomfort and which had enough hold.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,107, makes known a brassiere having a bottom torso underwire and a high lateral underwire in two portions, however, these two elements are not structurally connected to each other; although both are inserted in a same textile band forming the base of the brassiere, they are disjoined and their mechanical action is independent since the efforts exerting on one of the elements cannot be transmitted to another of the elements. The hold of such a brassiere over the chest has not proven satisfactory.
It is the same for the brassiere known by document U.S. Pat. No. 2,440,426; it may comprise one single underwire formed by a wire having a torso underwire and lateral portions connected to the torso underwire, but these lateral portions are bottom portions, at the same level as the front basque, which do not allow a good equilibrium of the chest.